Tracker app logo

Download the Tracker app!

Download the Tracker app to stay connected with Roseburg Tracker.

GET
NEW

Douglas County Adds 15 New Cases Monday & 2 Deaths; 20 Residents Hospitalized

(DCCRT) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: As of 12:00 pm today, Monday, November 23, 2020, there are FIFTEEN (15) people with new positive test results and TWO (2) deaths since our noon case update yesterday*. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 822*. Currently, there are TWENTY (20) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, 19 locally and 1 out-of-the-area. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Public Health Officer and Douglas Public Health Network continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID efforts. COVID-19 Related Deaths of Douglas County Residents Our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, has confirmed the deaths of two Douglas County residents from the COVID-19 virus. Our sixteenth COVID related death is an 81-year-old man who passed away today, Monday, November 23, 2020, in Roseburg, Oregon. He was admitted to the hospital on November 7, 2020. Our seventeenth COVID related death is a 91-year-old woman man who also passed away today, Monday, November 23, 2020, in Roseburg, Oregon. She was admitted to the hospital on November 18, 2020. In the interest of privacy for the loved ones, no additional information will be released. Each death related to COVID-19 is painful for all Douglas County residents, and a reminder of the terrible impact COVID-19 has had in our local communities. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN staff and the DCCRT Team extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all family members, friends, relatives, co-workers and community members of those who have passed after contracting this deadly virus. “It is with great sorrow that we continue to add to our local death toll, with the passing of two more local residents. On behalf of my family, my fellow Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN staff and the DCCRT team, we send our sincere condolences and prayers to the family, friends and neighbors of this beloved resident,” commented Commissioner Tim Freeman. “Please, for the safety of all of our citizens, we encourage you to do everything you can to protect the ones you love by preventing the spread of this deadly disease. Please limit your interactions with others, call or video chat instead of visit in person, watch presentations or church services online, delay travel plans for a while, get meals or food delivered, wear a mask, say sorry, but you are not able to attend the birthday party or family gathering this year and stay home if you are sick. The virus is here and it is not going away without the help of every citizen doing their part to prevent the spread. Stay safe and stay healthy." TOP REASONS WHY COVID-19 IS SPREADING LOCALLY: Since most people are aware that COVID-19 is spread through person-to-person contact, we wanted to talk specifically about the root causes of our recent local outbreaks. Today we wanted to talk about Church Gatherings. Why we certainly to do have anything against churches, but we wanted to bring to light that we are having a rash of local cases associated with unsafe behaviors at local church services and church gatherings. Although it is not something that OHA reports as an outbreak category, we wanted to let our citizens know that we currently have four churches that have active COVID-19 outbreaks. These outbreaks are due to close-contact gatherings where people are hugging and singing; not keeping appropriate distance from others; not wearing masks; hosting large dinners, meetings and prayer groups; and gathering for long periods of time in close quarters. Additionally, we have sadly learned that a few of our recent local deaths were directly related to unprotected church gatherings. Please limit your interactions, opt for online services where possible, make sure you are wearing a mask and keep your distance from others in your congregation. Please be safe in all you do, not just for yourself, but for the health and safety of others, especially those that already have a compromised immune system. Local Cases Being Supported in Isolation and Quarantine Currently, DPHN is supporting 251 cases in isolation, as well as another 518 contacts in quarantine in Douglas County. Isolation is recommended for confirmed and presumptive cases, quarantine is recommended for contacts of confirmed or presumptive cases. Currently, staff is supporting an astounding 769 total contacts in isolation or quarantine. This number represents a snapshot of the significant amount of work being done by our county and Douglas Public Health Network to help control the spread of COVID-19. PLEASE STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK! Please Stay Home from All Activities If You Are Sick, Feeling Even a Little Sick or Not Fully Recovered Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas County Public Health Official would like to remind residents about the importance of staying home when you are sick to help protect others from getting sick. This means not only staying home from work and school, but also staying home from all other activities and social events. Please, if you are sick, even if you just have a runny nose or stuffy head, do not attend birthday parties, weddings, poker nights, prayer groups, church or go work out at the gym and expose others to your illness. You Are the Key to Controlling the Spread of COVID! It is no secret that the key to stopping the continued spread of the coronavirus is, YOU, our residents, our families, our communities and our businesses. Yes, prevention is the best medicine, and not just to help stop the spread of COVID, but for your overall health and wellbeing as well. If each and every individual in our county would make a real concerted effort to implement prevention measures into their daily routine, we could see a huge decrease in our COVID case numbers. That means we need each and everyone one of our residents to take steps to minimize the spread of germs and contagions. They can do this by choosing to maintain healthier eating habits; incorporate exercise and cleaning routines; being cautious and keeping distance from others; making modifications to how you socialize with others; choosing no contact deliveries and services; and staying home if you are sick. The suggestions we make and the guidelines presented by public health are not just for your health and safety, but for the health and safety of everyone, including our kids, our grandparents, our coworkers, our first responders, our teachers and our businesses. We know we sound like a broken record, but our primary focus is to do everything we can to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents. Tips to Help Stop the Spread of COVID Make a habit of washing and sanitizing your hands, regularly. That means washing after you eat, if you touch new surfaces, go to the bathroom, open a door, go to the store, go to the post office or after a meeting. Also try and avoid touching your face as much as possible. Please wear a mask when you are around others not from your household. Not just for your protection, but for the protection of others. Stay at least six feet apart from anyone that is not from your immediate household. This means paying attention to the distance stickers at the store, the bank, at restaurants and at businesses. Please be respectful, kind and polite, by giving people ample space. Stay home from work, school and play if you are sick. This includes not running errands or going shopping or inviting visitors to your home. If you need help, reach out to friends, family or utilize an app or businesses that offer no contact deliveries or services. Minimize travel, especially out of the state and limit visitors to your home. Minimize attending social gatherings or going places where there are large groups of people. The DCCRT team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, along with Dr. Dannenhoffer and Douglas Public Health Network encourage residents to make prevention measures a part of their everyday routines. Getting Tested & Testing Clinics The next drive-through testing clinic will be Tuesday, November 24, 2020, in Roseburg. As a reminder, if you are having symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches and pains, diarrhea, sore throat or decreased sense of smell and taste, talk to your health care provider about being tested for COVID-19. Patients without a Primary Care Provider, that are looking for a COVID-19 test should contact the Sutherlin Aviva Health Clinic at (541) 459-3788. The first drive-through testing site was piloted in the county on March 17, 2020, there have been 1964 people tested in 92 drive-through clinics, while additional testing continues in hospitals, urgent cares and clinics. The drive-through clinics are led by DPHN, in conjunction with partner agencies including; Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Public Works, local volunteers and local health professionals. Oregon COVID-19 Case Update Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports new cases once a day on their website at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus. OHA also releases a daily situation status report and a weekly report that details the overall picture of the COVID-19 outbreak within our state. The daily report details positive and presumptive cases, as well as deaths by county and statewide, while the weekly report is more in depth and includes statistical data related the severity of cases by age, gender, zip codes, ethnicity, as well as information on workplace and senior care facility outbreaks in Oregon. Find additional information on the state or Federal COVID-19 response go to Oregon Health Authority, Centers for Disease Control, and 211Info. Oregon COVID-19 Presumptive OHA expanded their reporting for COVID-19 case management to now include presumptive COVID-19 cases in their total case number. DPHN is reporting the number of people with new positive test results and any new presumptives and uses the OHA’s definition of presumptive as having had close contact with a known, confirmed COVID-19 case, showing symptoms and not yet having a positive nasal swab/PCR or antigen test for COVID-19. Testing continues, as DPHN has been holding 2-3 clinics a week and hospitals, urgent cares and clinics continue to test. DPHN continues their epidemiologic investigations, identifying individuals who may have had close contact with individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19, advising and supporting quarantine and isolation. OHA Reporting and Definition for Recovered As per the Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 Investigative Guidelines, the number of recovered cases is no longer being assessed or reported by OHA. Up until May 1st, 2020 recovery from COVID-19 was defined as being afebrile (not feverish), without the use of antipyretics (medicine to reduce a fever), and having resolution of cough, shortness of breath and diarrhea for at least 72 hours. As more was learned about symptoms, recovery and contagious period, the definition of recovered changed. Beginning May 1st, OHA stopped reporting recovered cases while also separating recovery from contagious or isolation period. Many cases were no longer contagious, as they were outside of the contagious period, but still having lingering symptoms. To be consistent with OHA and to adapt as we learn more about this new virus, we removed the column in our chart listing recovered cases. At that point, we added the number of those in isolation, roughly indicating active or infectious cases of COVID-19 in Douglas County. Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Please join us Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 6:00 pm for the next Facebook Live event with Dr. Bob. hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page. Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer will continue their normal schedule of Facebook “Live Q&A Updates” next week with both his Tuesday night at 6:00 pm and Friday night at 4:00 pm on the DPHN Facebook page. Residents are still able to submit their COVID-19 questions to Dr. Bob during the live shows, but you can also email your questions to: Facebookquestions@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org. Dr. Bob and the DPHN team will do their best to respond to as many questions as they can during their weekly updates. Stay Informed with Accurate Local Information LOCAL COVID-19 INFORMATION Stay up to date on COVID-19 in Douglas County on the Douglas County Government website or the DPHN website. Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team (DCCRT) have been working hard to cooperatively provide accurate and timely information to Douglas County residents since March 8, 2020. Our local COVID-19 updates represent the coordinated effort of the agencies that make up the DCCRT. Douglas County Resource/COVID-19 Hotline: (541) 464-6550: Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas Public Health Network have added a resource and referral service to the current COVID-19 hotline for Douglas County residents. The added service will help residents get connected to resources and services due to the local wildfires. Referral and resource information will be available about local emergency shelters, livestock and animal boarding options, donation locations, volunteer opportunities, welfare check referrals, food and water resources and help with health and wellness questions. This is NOT the hotline for Fire Updates or Evacuation information. Please contact or follow DFPA and DCSO for the most up-to-date wildfire information. The Resource/COVID-19 Hotline is (541) 464-6550. It is staffed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week until further notice. Douglas County (541) 672-3311 Douglas Public Health Network (541) 440-3571 Questions about Governor’s Statewide Rules? If you have questions or need more information on statewide mandates, guidelines or rules, go to the Governor’s COVID-19 website at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-covid-19/ or call the Business Oregon's Navigator Hotline at (833) 604-0880. For information on COVID-19 in other counties and around Oregon, call 211 or visit 211info. Who Do You Contact to Report Compliance Issues with the Governor’s Statewide Rules? Please do not call 911, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or Douglas County Offices to report compliance issues with the Governor’s orders. The Governor has directed the State offices for Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) to be the enforcement agencies responsible for ensuring restaurants, bars, and other businesses comply with COVID-related rules. For more information or to report compliance issues contact: OSHA: (800) 922-2689 or OSHA website or OLCC (503) 872-5000 or OLCC website